This is the memoir of Gulwali Passarlay, who was sent away from Afghanistan at the age of twelve, after his father was killed in a gun battle with the US Army. He made a twelve-month odyssey across Europe, enduring time in prisons, suffering hunger and surviving a terrifying journey across the Mediterranean in a tiny boat. After a desolate month in a camp at Calais, he made it to Britain, where he was fostered, sent to school and won a place at a top university.

Members who attended the Discussion Group's meeting on 'Immigration has made Britain what it is today and we need it to continue' on 6th November may remember that this book was mentioned there.

Do bring along your own ideas of books to read in 2019. The group will then discuss and select titles for the months ahead. To keep costs to a minimum, titles must be available as second-hand paperbacks (or on Kindle). A number of websites offer cheap second-hand copies including: Abebooks (www.abebooks.co.uk); Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk); Alibris (www.alibris.co.uk)